halloween & 22

My last Halloween weekend as a college student was pretty great. Lots of time spent outside, enjoying the beautiful & crisp weather, a lot of sleeping in, wandering the cobble stone streets, a successful thrifting trip, homecooked meals, boozey night out with friends dressed as Wednesday Addams and getting the chance to listen to Alec Baldwin speak in Savannah's most beautiful theater. Not to mention i've dusted off my collection of boots, tights and jackets. Fall weather, I love you.

Now, this is my last week as a 22 year old and I've got a lot of work to do but it's alright. Because life is short and i've got a plane to catch on Friday to go to Chicago til Monday. Yes, finals week is approaching but this weekend it will have to wait. Work will get done and life moves on. That's where I'm at right now. Feeling calm.

For some reason, I always remember thinking "22 sounds like the coolest age ever" when I was younger and ya know what? My younger self must have been Miss Cleo because I was right. 22 was kind of the coolest age, but hopefully not ever. I want a lot more cool ones.

True Citrus Giveaway!

This week, I 'hosted' a giveaway over at Small Kitchen College for True Citrus products (think Crystal Light but without aspartame and all that other crap you don't need), which are 100% natural and 100% delicious. And no, i'm not just saying that. I've been addicted to this stuff since the moment I received the samples. Seriously. I've been carrying the to-go packets in my purse everyday in various flavors such as grapefruit, orange, raspberry lemonade and lime. If you know me, I love my drinks. I need to keep myself hydrated like woah, and i've been off soda for about 3 weeks now (with one slip up! not so bad if you ask me) so I need to give all the water i've been drinking a big kick in the ass and these packets do the trick.

I've even sprinkled some of the lime seasoning onto a cilantro chicken dish I cooked this week & used the lemon on a grilled cheese panini. These little gems are so versatile and tasty. Plus, it really tastes like the real deal...because it is the real deal.

The best part to all of this is that you can WIN free True Citrus products so head over to my article and follow the directions. Give your water & cooking/baking a refreshing kick without any guilt.

Good luck! xo

nicole cari

Band of Outsiders has become one of my favorite brands. The older I get and the more I experiment with what I love and what i'm drawn to style-wise, I realize that designers like Band really encompass everything that makes my heart pitter patter. Easy, comfortable, classic, a little preppy but always the perfect mix of tomboy and feminine.

After this summer, working with Band of Outsiders' clothing and learning a bit about what goes on behind the scenes, I came to realize just how much I loved their clothing. Every item that I touched was beautifully made, delicate but had a strong design. Each piece was completely timeless and dreamy. I can honestly say holding some of their blazers, dresses and tops, imagining what it would be like to actually own them myself, was one of the best parts of my internship.

Well, tonight I stumbled upon Nicole Cari's (Band's marketing & press director) feature on Closet Visit and felt immediately inspired by her effortless, comfortable and sophisticated style. So cozy & chic which is the best combination of cliche fashion words, if you ask me. Not to mention her hair rules. Is there anything better than simple oxford shirts, army jackets, dainty floral prints and flowy dresses?

PS: Have you been to Closet Visit yet? Um, check it out immediately. It's endless amounts of wonderful all compiled into one little section of the ol' world wide web.

stripes, polka dots, red lips & structured jackets.

my dream fall/winter style inspiration. SO GOOD.

lately.

1. rachael & i at local11ten 2. pulling holiday looks for a photoshoot 3. beautiful home at palmetto bluff ,sc when i was there with my mom 4. a holy moment

according to my iphone, this is what i've been up to lately. these photos sum up the last three weeks of my life pretty well aside from the fact that I haven't been instagram-ing the nonstop work i've been putting into all of my school projects. that's pretty boring stuff to take pictures of most of the time, ya know.

i am squeezing relaxation/some fun in when I can but it's senior year of college. this is no joke, y'all! it's crunch time since the end of the quarter is approaching and i'll be jettin' off to chicago for my birthday. work can take a back seat for three days because i got somewhere to be and someone to love. oh, and i've got to go ahead and turn 23 years old too while i'm at it.

hey, are you curious what the deal is with the fourth picture up there? that's just my pals chris & jessica, me & mike (ma boyfrand) and Chef Jerome. While I want to say that he's famous, i'm not quite sure he is in reality but in his own head...oh man. He's the KING! i wish i had enough hand muscles/strength to type out detail by detail how the experience of going to jerome's old school diner in ?, GA was like but you'll have to just go to the website & use your imagination. Keep in mind it was pouring raining with thunder/lightning, we were the only patrons in the restaurant and there was a ton of fried food and hugging involved. Only in Georgia.

5. an old building near my apartment & the year it was built 6. strawberry & mint lemonade 7. setting up the decor (aka: holidaying up my fireplace area) for a group magazine photoshoot. 8. one of my favorite buildings near SCAD's Arnold Hall

The past two weekends I've been lucky enough to have two of my favorite people visit me in Savannah. First, my boyfriend Mike last weekend and then my Mom this weekend. Both served as the perfect little time spent with the two people I miss the most when I'm down here. It's been nice to have a break from the normal school/everyday life routine i've got goin' here. I hate to see them go, but now it's time to just go go go and finish up the rest of this quarter (last week was midterms. wha?!)

oh, and above? while i was at class, my mom surprised me by sneaking to one of the shops on my block & getting me the Design*Sponge At Home Book! Not only have I been wanting this book since the moment I found out it was coming out, Grace Bonney is speaking at SCAD next week and I can get it autographed after I listen to her lecture! I've been an emotional crazy person lately and let's just say tears of joy were involved when I opened this.

I'm a very lucky girl to have such special people in my life.

I have a weird love/hate relationship with the Kardashians. It's so complex that I can't even figure it out in my own brain let alone create a blog post explaining it. Life is so difficult.

But one thing I know for sure is that I 100% enjoy Kourtney's (and ya know what, even Scott) style. That horse print dress? Her hair? Sunnies? Her make up? Keep It Komin Kourtney. I love your look.

For Me, For You

Over the past two years, I've been an avid reader of For Me, For You which is a blog written by freelance designer Kate Miss. Her simple and warm design aesthetic whether it be the entire look of her blog, use of colors, her cozy "Bits Of My Weekend" photo series every week, her talent with graphic design (She used to work for DwellStudio!) and her minimal yet chic jewelry designs has inspired me as I try to find my own style and design voice.

Unfortunately, her boyfriend Will has been diagnosed with cancer and as you can imagine, they're in a bit of a financial situation. They are both freelancers and Will is currently unemployed due to his health condition. Kate, still being as humble as possible, has asked her audience for their support during this rocky time. For more information, click here & see what you can do! Cancer is a scary thing and i'm sure everyone out there has been touched by it in some way or another. So with just one purchase of one of Kate's beautiful prints in her Etsy shop, you can help and also receive a truly one of a kind piece of art in return. The internet can be a really beautiful thing.

As some of you may know, i'm a huge Wilco fan so naturally i'm all about their latest album. It's so fantastic and I've been listening to it every morning when I'm getting ready for the day, during the afternoon when I'm putzing around my apartment or at night when I'm reading/doing homework. It's basically an all day, erry day thing. Listen if you haven't already!

On a sadder note, i'm sure all of you have heard about the passing of Steve Jobs. We've lost a master but with a brain like that, i'm sure he still has fantastic plans for Apple even though he's gone. Technology aside, he was an extraordinary human that will inspire society forever. That's pretty incredible.

this looks so cute